The Economics of Water: Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good

Table of Contents

• GCEW Final Report Design - 1-11 1
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 12-13 12
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 14-29 13
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 30-31 29
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 32-45 30
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 46-49 44
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 50-57 46
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 58-61 54
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 62-63 56
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 64-69 58
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 70-71 61
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 72-73 63
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 74-175 64
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 176-177 166
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 178-179 167
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 180-181 169
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 182-187 170
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 188-189 176
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195
• GCEW Final Report Design - 190-233 177
• Preface by the Co-Chairs 6
• Preface by youth 9
• Executive summary 10
• From crisis to opportunity 11
• Why we must govern the water cycle as a global common good 12
• The costs of inaction 13
• Reframing the economics of water: Shaping markets for efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 13
• Five mission areas to address the water crisis 14
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 15
• Mission 2: Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 16
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 16
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity 16
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 17
• Critical enablers of change 17
• Govern partnerships, property rights, and contracts for an efficient, equitable and sustainable future 17
• Shape finance for a just and sustainable water future 18
• Harness data as a foundation for action 18
• Build global water governance 19
• Turning the tide for a just and sustainable water future 20
• Recommendations 21
• The Commission 23
• Co-Chairs 23
• Executive Director 23
• Acknowledgements 25
• Former Commissioners 25
• Key Aides and Chiefs of Staff of the Co-Chairs 25
• Key experts 25
• Contributing and commissioned researchers 25
• Speakers at GCEW retreats and hearings 26
• Youth Expert Group 27
• United Nations 27
• Participants in the Bellagio brainstorming seminar 27
• Counterparts in the Dutch government 28
• Inspiring artist 28
• Communication 28
• OECD Secretariat 28
• Disclaimer 30
• Introduction: Transforming the world's understanding of the economics of water 32
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 40
• Understanding blue and green water 42
• Identifying freshwater boundaries 46
• The stage for a global water crisis 47
• Water scarcity, shortage, and stress 49
• Total terrestrial water storage 52
• A destabilising global water cycle 53
• Transboundary green water 56
• The hydrological cycle as a global common good 61
• Towards a new economics of water 66
• Drivers of change in total water storage 73
• The economic impacts of terrestrial moisture recycling 75
• The virtual water trade 81
• Reversing the decline 82
• Policies and pathways to improve water resource management 84
• Water for agriculture 85
• Municipal water 87
• Three principles for achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental sustainability 88
• Innovations in blue water management 89
• From fixing markets to shaping economies 94
• From ex-post to ex-ante measures 95
• Outcome-orientation and missions 96
• Putting water justice at the centre of shaping markets 98
• Defining Water System Justice 100
• Estimating water requirements for a dignified life 101
• Conclusion 103
• Mission 1: Launch a new revolution in food systems 107
• Goal 1: Improve water productivity by reducing water usage in agriculture by a third, while increasing crop yields 107
• Goal 2: Accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture systems from 15% of global cropland to 50% by 2050 109
• Goal 3: Aim to achieve a 30% share of plant-based proteins by 2050, especially in higher-income countries with high red meat and dairy consumption 109
• Mission 2. Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protect green water 112
• Goal 1: Restore at least 30% of degraded forest and inland water ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 2 112
• Goal 2: Conserve 30% of forest ecosystems globally by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 112
• Goal 3: Conserve 30% of inland water ecosystems by 2030, aligned with GBF Target 3 113
• Mission 3: Establish a circular water economy 114
• Goal 1: Cut leakages and non-revenue water in half by 2030 114
• Goal 2: Recycle 50% of water to enable every drop of used water to generate a new drop 115
• Goal 3: Create new value by recovering other resources from wastewater treatment 115
• Mission 4: Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water-intensity 116
• Goal 1: Generate clean energy with low water-intensity 117
• Goal 2: Improve water efficiency in industry, from cooling data centres to mining essential minerals 118
• Mission 5: Ensure that no child dies from unsafe water by 2030 119
• Goal 1: Build decentralised water treatment systems 119
• Goal 2: Close the global water storage gap, especially through rainwater harvesting and wetlands 119
• Goal 3: Prevent water contamination at the source 120
• Goal 4: Develop and scale up energy-efficient desalination techniques 121
• Solving water: An unprecedented opportunity 123
• Problems with water partnerships today 126
• Water is overallocated 128
• Water is inequitably allocated 129
• Redesigning water contracts using a justice-based allocation framework 129
• Shaping water allocation and access through conditionalities 131
• Conditionalities for new or renegotiated water permits, contracts, and property rights 132
• Conditionalities in water investments 132
• Just Water Partnerships 132
• Transparency, monitoring, and accountability 133
• Water-related financing exacerbates justice issues 136
• An enduring financing gap 137
• From quantity to quality, to close the financing gap 138
• Patient, long-term and directed finance 139
• Principles for financing water 139
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water finance 140
• Public finance 140
• Private finance 141
• Multilateral finance 147
• Challenges and opportunities related to the governance of water utilities 152
• Towards mission-centred water utilities 155
• Mission-centred water utilities 155
• Water System Justice at the heart of mission-centred water utilities 155
• Policy shifts to move the needle on water utilities 157
• Promote diverse modalities to serve the poorest populations and communities 157
• Embed public value in the governance and review of water utilities 158
• Contracts, partnerships, and regulation 159
• Tariffs for water supply and sanitation services 161
• Additional revenue streams 162
• Unlocking the potential of data 167
• Recommended pathways for action 168
• Water as an organising principle 174
• Opportunities to redesign water governance 175
• Water at the Bretton Woods Institutions 179
• Water at other international financial institutions and public development banks 181
• Water and trade 181
• Water at the OECD 183
• The role of social movements in water governance 183
• Water and the private sector 186
• Water and academia 187
• Towards a global water pact 188
• Beyond Dublin. A set of principles to value and govern water for the common good 193
• Future work 195
• Further engagement with distinctive communities 195
• A research agenda 195
• Recommendations 195